Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Is technology holding me back?

My trusty digital camera has a shutter delay, of course, as do all digital point-and-shoots. Back on that hail storm night, there was an amazing lightning display that was like a fireworks show. I got out the camera and started snapping away. But agonizingly, the shutter delay was even longer than usual... it seemed to last five seconds. And picture after picture came out nearly black.

Kim: A lot of digital camera lag has to do with the use of (relatively) cheap electronics to hold down the price. Part of the reason DSLRs are relatively expensive is that they have fancier electronics to improve image quality and minimize lags.

However, as all electronic devices get faster/smaller/cheaper over time, digicams have improved greatly overall since we got ours back in paleolithic times. (As its flash metering hasn't been quite the same since its dip in Lake Monona, and its autofocus was always pathetic, I really should bite the bullet and replace ours.) There are, in fact, some point-and-shoots that offer near-SLR quality, though those tend to also have near-SLR prices.

Our camera is 3-1/2 years old -- a slightly older version of the camera that is curretnly annoying Janelle -- basically part of the first generation of reasonably priced cameras that were totally workable substitutes for film cameras for casual photographers. Like Janelle's, it takes decent pictures within its limitations. Amazingly, it survived being dropped into Lake Monona the summer before last.

The current equivalent model is smaller, lighter, uses fewer batteries, takes higher resolution pictures, has a greater (optical) zoom range, is reportedly less laggy once powered up, and at least $100 cheaper to boot. My consumerist dilemma is whether I need to spend a grand for an SLR when a quarter that will get something vastly superior to what I have.